


Curiosity Shapes You

by meetthethiefa



Category: The Book of Mormon - Ambiguous Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Childhood, Curiosity, F/M, Falling In Love, Marriage, Parenthood, Pregnancy, just a conversation between Kimbay and Mafala when Nabulungi is 5 years old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 21:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15252459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meetthethiefa/pseuds/meetthethiefa
Summary: “You know,” Kimbay says, “while she may have her mother’s sweetness, she has your curiosity.”





	Curiosity Shapes You

“You know,” Kimbay says, “while she may have her mother’s sweetness, she has your curiosity.”

She’s talking to Mafala, but looking at Nabulungi, hands firmly wrapped around the handles of the basket she’s carrying. It’s a particularly hot day, but that doesn’t stop the people of the village from carrying out their usual jobs. Not even the more indolent teens are free from their work; Kalimba has made sure of that. Only the youngest of the children are exempt from work.

“Yes, you are right.”

Mafala doesn’t even try to deny it, which Kimbay can understand since, well, she’s right, and when she says she’s adding “Stupid curiosity” to the list of traits he’s passed on to his only daughter, he merely laughs. It’s an infectious laughter that soon has Kimbay join him, and it’s loud enough to gain some questioning looks from the group of women huddled together by the well, large jars of clay standing at their feet.

One of them, Mirembe, catches Mafala’s eyes and a warm, affectionate expression blooms on her visage as she gives him a meek wave. Mafala waves back, smile equally as tender, if not more.

Then someone in the group of women seems to have said something particularly witty for all the women laugh, and Mirembe turns her attention back to the conversation. Mafala, though, still looks as enthralled as ever. It tugs at Kimbay’s heart, the deep love and affection she knows is shared between Mafala and Mirembe and, for five years now, Nabulungi. She smiles fondly at said small, inquisitive girl.

Nabulungi, with a desire to learn and discover what has yet to be discovered, at least by her, is standing on her tiny legs on a patch of grass and reaches out for one of the pink flowers that grows there. She picks it up, breaking it off at the stem, and proceeds to stick it in her face most likely in an attempt to smell. It doesn’t take long before she emits a violent sneeze. Kimbay laughs; Nabulungi seems to have surprised herself, for she stumbles backwards, landing in the grass with a soft thump. Her eyes are wide in what Kimbay can only describe as confusion, but then she appears to get over it and shoves the flower back in her face, letting out a delighted giggle.

Beside her, Kimbay registers Mafala’s compulsive urge to run over and check if she’s okay, but Kimbay stops him. She puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Let her learn for herself. She can handle it. She is, after all, your daughter,” she says, patting his shoulder.

Mafala sighs. “Am I that obvious?” Kimbay nods and he chuckles, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. “I guess I just know that curiosity can get you in trouble.”

Kimbay shakes her head in disagreement, then, gaze subconsciously moving from Nabulungi to Miremba. “I would not say it got you in trouble. It shaped you.” She squints in thought. “I would say it shaped your life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Kimbay continues, “that it is thanks to your curiosity that you and Mirembe found each other.” She nudges his side with her elbow, giving a poignant nod towards his wife. “If you had not fallen into that pit when you were little she would not have found you and would not have fallen in love with you.”

At that, Mafala laughs. “I was a stupid boy, eh. Took me far too long to realize.” His voice is tender.

“Yes,” Kimbay agrees, quite aware of the boldness Mirembe exhibited when they were all still children.

Mirembe was not good at hiding her feelings for Mafala, did not truly try to either, but he was an oblivious boy, still acting quite young for his age, and didn’t acknowledge it. Kimbay remembers going up to him one day, out of pure frustration from watching Mirembe’s relentless flirting without any sign of processing or understanding from Mafala’s side, and flicking his ear. Mafala gave a shout in surprise (and perhaps pain, she isn’t sure) before he, rather meekly, asked why she did it.

“Because you are an idiot. Do you not see how Mirembe looks at you?” Kimbay watched as he shook his head vehemently, his eyes wider than she had ever seen them.

“How does she look at me?” 

The curiosity was palpable and Kimbay couldn’t help but smile, revealing her teeth.

“Why don’t you ask her?”

Kimbay, honestly, isn’t sure whether or not she was a factor in the starting of their relationship, but she does know that Mafala asked Mirembe out short after their little conversation. So, she guesses that she did.

“Who knows,” Kimbay then says, “Maybe Nabulungi will one day meet a boy like you met Mirembe.”

Mafala seems to sour at that, his nose wrinkling and brows furrowing. “Perhaps,” is all he says, and Kimbay just smiles.

Everything, right then and there, is just wonderful in a way that things rarely are in Kitguli. People are still riding the wave of euphoria from their celebration of Kimbay and Kizito’s marriage and it’s been quite some time since a person has died a preventable death. Nabulungi is happy and healthy, and, as Gotswana has reassured her, so is the little bundle of love that’s starting to show on Kimbay’s stomach.

After a bit of silence, Mafala says, “Kizito is a lucky man.”

Kimbay nods. “So are you.”

It is the truth; they are lucky - as lucky as people in their situation can be.

However, as Kimbay is acutely aware of, luck tends to run out.

And, well, it does.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of headcanons for the Hatimbi family. Thank you for reading some of the writing that comes out of it.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @htyhtiasmmsibijt, feel free to shoot me a message!


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